1 of 4Copyright 2015 CrossFit Inc. All Rights Reserved. CrossFit is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc. Subscription info at http://journal.crosst.comFeedback to feedback@crossfit.comVisit CrossFit.comTHEJOURNALHuman Defense SystemBy Theresa Smith July 2015CrossFit Defense shows Theresa Smith she already has the tools she needs to defend herself. Bek HoustonLike many other CrossFit gyms, Raise the Bar CrossFit in Ontario, Oregon, is in a crime-ridden industrial area. We want our members to be able to work out in a place where they can be themselves, and industrial areas are home to large warehouse spaces where weights can be dropped and music played loudly at all hours of the day without pissing Theresa Smiths feeling of vulnerability while alone at her afliate led her to seek out a CrossFit Defense seminar.Defense...(continued)2 of 4Copyright 2015 CrossFit Inc. All Rights Reserved. CrossFit is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc. Subscription info at http://journal.crosst.comFeedback to feedback@crossfit.comVisit CrossFit.como the neighbors. Rent is often cheaper in industrial areas, butthesealiate-friendlypartsoftowncanbeplaces where we have to look out for each other and ourselves.The small city in which I run my aliate has the reputation ofbeingthemostdangerousinthestate.Wevehad break-ins, vandalism, drug busts and even murders in the neighborhood in which I go to work every day, and safety is a very real concern. Grati peppered my back walls a few times, I had threatening situations with passers-by, I started to feel like I had to lock my doors when I was there alone, and I had a bad situation with a neighbor whoseemingly in a drug-fueled ragephysically threatenedanentireclassduringanearly-morningsession. Exceptforoneweekoftaekwondoasateenager,Ihaveno history in self-defense or martial arts. In my gym, I felt exposed andvulnerabletocriminalelements.Ididntlikethatfeeling and wanted to take control of the situation.The nal straw was when someone broke into a coachs car. It happened in broad daylight: A class of athletes worked out just 20 yards away while a thief smashed a window and stole a wallet. The incident destroyed the sense of safety at my gym. A couple of weeks later, we learned it was not just a thug who had stolen the wallet but rather a member of a large group of identity thieves and sex trackers who had made their way up to Oregon from Georgia. Aroundthetimeofthatevent,IpostedonaFacebook pageforCrossFitaliateownerstoseewhatothersdo to stay safe when they are at the gym alone so often. The responsewastremendousandverypassionate.Among almost 100 responses, I received advice ranging from get a big dog to get a gun to learn a martial art. All I knew was that I wanted to feel safe right nownot years or months fromnowaftertrainingadog,masteringamartialartor mastering use of a weapon.Oneanswerthatkeptcomingupintriguedme:Check out Tony Blauers CrossFit Defense course. I decided it was worthashotandbookedmyselfintothe TrainerCourse atCrossFitUnbrokeninDenver,Colorado,setforthe following month. Knees to Elbowsor GroinFor some reason, I always thought of self-defense as what youdothemomentsomeonephysicallyattacksyou.It turns out thats just a small part of it. AsBlauerpointedoutatthecourse,self-defensebegins beforethedanger.HewentoverhisCycleofBehavior, andonephrasethatstuckwithmeis falseexpectations appearingreal,orFEAR.Theconceptmadememore aware of my thought processes: Do I set up a bad situation without cause? Do I give power to a person trying to instill fear?HowdoIreactwhenmyownfalseexpectations appear to be real? I felt exposed and vulnerable to criminal elements. I didnt like that feeling and wanted to take control of the situation.Courtesy of Theresa SmithRaise the Bar CrossFit is located in Ontario, Oregon, a small city that has the reputation of being the most dangerous in the state.Defense...(continued)3 of 4Copyright 2015 CrossFit Inc. All Rights Reserved. CrossFit is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc. Subscription info at http://journal.crosst.comFeedback to feedback@crossfit.comVisit CrossFit.comFor Blauer, mindset and tactics are a winning combination. He teaches simple, eective techniques based on how a person will actually react to an attack. These tactics are not ve-ngerdeathpunchesthatrequireaBruceLeelevel ofskillandfocusinanattack.Instead,Blauersprogram teaches you to use simple movements that capitalize on the bodys natural inch reex. One of the rst drills we learned was splayed ngers and outside 90. Blauer paired class members as attackers and victims and had the attacker go in for a bear-hug tackle. He demonstrated what happens if you simply try to push the attacker away, and heshowedustheimpressivedierencewhenyoudothe samethingwithngerssplayedopenandtheelbowjoints open past 90 degrees to create mechanical advantage. These simple techniqueswhich can be deployed from the inch/reex position of throwing the hands up in front of the face when attackedrecruit the strong extensor muscles and put the victim in a much better defensive position.Wealsolearnedhowtoslamanattackerschin,withthe ever-familiar medicine ball playing the role of the assailants head.Blauerexplainedthatthechinslamworksno matter which direction the attackers head turns, and the chinisabigtargetcomparedto,say,aneyeoranose. The movement is very similar to the nish of a wall-ball shot,andBlauermadethatconnectionobvious.The wall-ballshotisingraineddeepintomusclememory ofCrossFitathletes,andthelinkbetweentnessand defensesavedhoursofpractice.Iknowhowtonish Karen, so I know how to slam an attacker in the chin and fend o a bear hug.As a coach and athlete, my favorite part of the course was thetimespentdoingdefenseWODs(D-WODS).Inthe taking-the-garbage-out WOD, athletes took turns posing asattackersandvictims,playingoutasceneinwhicha coach is taking the garbage out behind the gym. Turning from the garbage can, the victim encounters an assailant whodivesinforanattack.Thevictimthrowshishands upinareexiveaction,deploysthengers-splayed/outside-90 defense and then slams rapid-succession knee kicks to the ribs of the attackera medicine ballbefore scrambling under a nearby fence.At his CrossFit Defense courses, Tony Blauer relates self-defense movements to those commonly found in CrossFit workouts.Dave Re/CrossFit JournalDefense...(continued)4 of 4Copyright 2015 CrossFit Inc. All Rights Reserved. CrossFit is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc. Subscription info at http://journal.crosst.comFeedback to feedback@crossfit.comVisit CrossFit.comWealsohadanopportunitytocomeupwithourown D-WODs,whichallowedustopracticethetechniques welearnedandseehowdierentmovementscanbe usedindierentsituations.Creatingworkoutsallowed us,astrainers,tounderstandhowwecanbringBlauers techniques back to our own gyms. Throughoutthecourse,Blauerprovidedlinksbetween self-defense techniques and movements CrossFit athletes regularlyperform.Themaneuversandprotectivetactics used in CrossFit Defense build on movements we already useinourboxeveryday.Imightnotknowhowtodo advanced martial arts, but I can always remember to wall-ballachinbecauseIvedonethemovementthousands oftimesinCrossFit.Similarly,thoseunfamiliarwithknee strikesonlyhavetoreviewthemechanicsofknees-to-elbows and apply the same pattern. Usingthebodyshard-wiredprogrammingiskey toBlauerssystem,anditswhatmakesself-defense accessible to anyone. Uponreturninghome,IfeltsecureknowingthatifIwere attacked, I have tools I can use to defend myself. While I still lock the gym when Im alone, I no longer feel like a victim. Im more aware of my surroundings and I take precautionsbut not out of fear. Now Im acting on education and awareness.Ivealsoputaprogramintoplacewithmy8-a.m. all-womensCrossFitclass.Everymonthorso,wespend oneortwodaysdoingD-WODsinplaceoftheregular workout,andweinviteathletesfromotherclassesto join us. They take the training seriously but also enjoy the community-building aspects of the class. We take the time to discuss any areas of concern, and as a group we create D-WODs to practice movements and eliminate our fears in situations we might come across. In the future, I plan to build out an entire CrossFit Defense specialtyprogramasaseparateoeringatRaisetheBar CrossFit, and I hope to host a CrossFit Defense seminar in thenearfuture.IwanttopassontheskillsIlearnedand create athletes who feel empowered and safe when they are in my gym and in our community.I spent a powerful weekend and now understand that fear is manageable, my reaction to that fear is controllable, and I am my own bodyguard.About the AuthorTheresa Smith is owner of Raise the Bar CrossFit in Ontario, Oregon. She is a CrossFit Level 2 trainer and holds a CrossFit Defense certicate.Troughout the course, Blauer provided links between self-defense techniques and movements CrossFit athletes regularly perform. FAt her afliate, Theresa Smith coaches Defense WODs (D-WODs) a couple of times a month in her all-womens class.Bek Houston